"The Odd Couple" @ Lakewood

"The Odd Couple" was written in the sixties, it would stand to reason that something would make it slightly dated. No, there's nothing, except for the use of the yellow-pages and a rotary dial phone, and perhaps that characters smoke indoors. The point being, nothing in the plot makes it feel the least bit stale. Even with the film and tv series versions being classics in their own right only increased my desire to see the original, which somehow I hadn't yet seen on stage. I find this particularly odd because there was even a Broadway revival in the not so distant past. One would think that would have spurred a host of regional productions, but I don't recall any. The description "laugh out-loud funny" is over-used an often hyperbolic, I reserve its use to occasions where it's literally true, and this production qualifies handily. See it. The comedy sparkles as if it were brand-new, and the set, (an often unsung element is gorgeous. It is also the lightest fare currently running, which I must say is quite welcome. 

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" @ PCS

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" is strange in all the best ways. Its protagonist has a deliberately unspecified neurological disorder. It makes him averse to touch, extremely skilled in certain academic subjects, and quite observant, which serves him well for the "detective story" element of the play. You may have noticed my omission of symptoms typical of such disorders, ones that are more debilitating than those I've mentioned. They too are shown in the play, but given the first-person perspective, significantly more downplayed than they otherwise may have been. I found this refreshing. By focusing on those attributes that could be considered assets, it makes those of us who might be broadly described as "introverts" feel less self-conscious about our various quirks. If someone in y0our life is, to use the term that's en vogue, "neuro-atypical," they might enjoy this show very much. If their enjoyment would be enhanced by a more "sensory-friendly" presentation, those are offered as well. One thing to note,  however, is that I was advised to select the wheelchair-seats in the rear-orchestra, due to the configuration of this particular show, so the wheelchair-using readers of this site should keep that in mind. Still, I'd highly recommend attending.

Joshua Radin @ Revolution Hall

Experiences like this don't happen every day. I am a huge fan of Joshua Radin, and had happened upon William Fitzsimmons on a double-bill with Griffin House. Seeing Radin and Fitzsimmons on the same stage was quite a treat. The third artist on the bill was Ben Kweller. whom I had never encountered. He was a pleasant surprise. I'll have a chance ti get better acquainted with all of them , because when I visited the merch booth in search of a large T-shirt, they were out, but as I was leaving the clerk gifted me Cds by all three men. That was the highlight of a night full of contenders.